News just in: Scotland’s Crown Office has still not received a report from Police Scotland about the SNP’s former chief executive Peter Murrell — almost a fortnight after he was rearrested and charged with embezzlement. Talk about taking things slow…

Steerpike heard from the Crown Office this afternoon that prosecutors have not yet seen Murrell’s charge sheet, despite being rearrested almost two weeks ago. The husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon was taken into police custody for the second time on Thursday 18 April as part of the police probe into SNP finances — and charged with embezzling funds from his own party. There could be a number of reasons for the delay in sending a charge sheet to the Crown Office before an investigation has completely concluded.

Shortly after the police force announced that it had charged the former SNP chief, it transpired that Murrell had also resigned his party membership. His wife, Nicola Sturgeon, and the SNP’s former treasurer Colin Beattie were also arrested last year in connection with the investigation into a ‘missing’ sum of £600,000 supposedly ring-fenced for IndyRef2 campaigning. Both were subsequently released, but remain under investigation. The day after her husband was charged with financial fraud, the SNP’s Dear Leader admitted to journalists that the situation was ‘incredibly difficult’.

The Crown Office told Mr S today that ‘the situation remains that COPFS [Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service] has not received a Standard Prosecution Report in this matter’. How curious. And it is understood that prosecutors are working with an Advocate Depute on the matter, after the Crown Office previously stated:

It is standard practice that any case regarding politicians is dealt with by prosecutors without the involvement of the Lord Advocate or Solicitor General. All Scotland’s prosecutors act independently of political interference.

Will there be more updates on Operation Branchform soon? Watch this space…